Behind the Glass
by Deans
Summary: Fuu wished she could keep the memories of Jin and Mugen behind the glass where nothing could ever taint them. Five years after their departure, though, they decide to have a little reunion. :MugenFuu:
1. My New Fear

**Behind the Glass**

_My New Fear_

She wasn't afraid of the end anymore. The end had been five years before now. The end was terrifying and painful and had her up all night for the first time since their journey started. The end had her cold and hungry and made her stronger. But most importantly, the end was in the past.

She was twenty now, and she would never really forget that time she met Mugen and Jin and chased after the sunflower scented Samurai. She would remember it, in fact, as that one experience in a young girl's life that you could think back on during hard times.

No, she wasn't afraid of the end and she wasn't afraid to forget. What scared her was tonight.

They had decided to meet again after all this time at an inn, sort of like a reunion. And she was afraid of what they might be now, and who she was too. She wanted to keep their memories strong and never see them again. She wanted to keep them as her very own original paintings framed behind protected glass that was frequently spit-shined. But she wasn't a child anymore and she couldn't always get what she wanted.

There was no escaping it since she had already agreed to it, God knows why. She just had to remember: Deep breaths.

The door knob jingled a bit and the rain continued to pour outside.

Fuu walked up to open it, taking her time and taking deep breaths. Her hand reached for the handle when she heard a grunt on the other side. Oh, how she remembered that annoying grunting pig-like sound. That could only mean one thing...

**To be continued...**

I don't know what this is exactly. I love this show so much and I thought it would be fun to write a little reunion story with chapters. This one is like an introduction so it's short. I have a few ideas, though, so the next chapter will be up soon. There's not much to review on so far, but if you want to leave a suggestion or review for the fun of it, don't let me stop you.


	2. Awkward Second Beginnings

**Behind the Glass**

_Awkward Second Beginnings_

"Welcome, Mugen. Don't worry about the door," Fuu said, coughing up the dust she inhaled from the door being ripped off the hinges and slammed on the ground.

"Mnh," was all he said as he walked into her room without even looking at her. "Do you have any food?"

"Yes, nice to see you too. That's right, it's been a while. You think I look good? Well, you're not looking too bad yourself. Maybe you could use a shower though..." Her conversation trailed off as she watched Mugen hunt down something to eat. When he found a rice ball she had been saving, he quickly devoured it and still went on searching for more. "Hey!" she yelled at him. He stopped and turned around very quickly as his hand naturally went to his sword. Right then, he saw her for the first time in five years.

A little bit of rice fell out of his mouth which currently drooping to the floor. "Fuu? Or no, wait... Fuu's hot older sister she never told us about, right?" She giggled at that.

"Nice to see you too, Mugen," she said with a little smile on her face. "Although I'd pictured this experience a little less hectic in my head, it's nice all the same. It's cold in here, though. Think you could try to fix up the door?" He was still trying to figure out if she was really Fuu or not when she asked about the door. Once her question registered, he looked at the door frame and smirked.

"Sure, sure." He picked up the door and leaned it into the frame. Feeling it was a job well done, Mugen collapsed on Fuu's futon.

She was glaring at him and he realized how much he hadn't missed that. She sat down beside the futon and looked at him. He looked at her looking at him.

"You haven't changed a bit," she lied. He had a few more scars than the last time she'd seen him (particularly one running from under his temple down to his cheekbone) and his clothes looked like pure rags. And he just seemed different. She couldn't explain it, but maybe he'd matured since they last saw each other? One could only hope.

"Neither have you," he told her the truth. She looked grown up now and he expected that. She was even sort of beautiful... just sort of. But he felt she was the same Fuu she had always been, and just by the way she was looking at him could he tell.

They fell into a short silence, just looking at each other. When the lightning cracked, though, Fuu's trance was broken.

"So, have you heard from Jin? Do you think he'll make it here safely?"

Mugen scoffed. "He'll be fine. Weather is nothing a Samurai can't handle. You know that, Fuu," he told her. He thought it was strange to say her name again after all this time.

"You're probably right. So... how have you been?"

"Alright. You?"

"Good."

"That's good."

"Hey listen, do you want me to run a bath for you so you can freshen up a bit? I bet you're probably tired," Fuu said and rushed off to start the water without waiting for an answer. Mugen was glad she left. Since when did things between them get awkward?

* * *

After washing up in the bath for a half hour, Mugen came out and for once, he smelled nice. Fuu had cleaned up his clothes a bit and they were sitting out to dry so Mugen was walking around in robes. She was sitting on her futon, wrapped in her blanket. She set up a futon for him on the other end of the room. He was thankful, but even more than that he was exhausted. Collapsing into the covers, he mumbled a good night. 

The wide awake girl on the other side of the room didn't reply.

**To be continued...**

I know I said it was going to be longer. Usually the chapters will be, but I'm not at my house tonight and I'm rushing so I thought I'd give you a little something to make up for the shortness of the last chapter. Please review. Suggestions, comments and criticism.


	3. Out to Lunch

**Behind the Glass**

_Out to Lunch_

"Come on, girl! We're just going out to lunch. There's no one to impress!" Mugen impatiently yelled to Fuu who was taking her time getting ready in the bathroom. After a few more minutes, she came out. "What the... Fuu! You make me wait for practically an hour and you look exactly the same as usual!"

Fuu scowled at him. "No I don't. See, look," she turned to show him her hair. "I added a barrette! Sparkly and fancy, isn't it?" He just looked at her. "What? These things are really hard to get in your hair, you know."

"Yeah, ok. Let's go or we're going to be late," Mugen said while dragging her by the arm with him. He started dragging her before she was ready for it and was caught off balance by this. Luckily Mugen was there to catch her. Strangely, though, he caught her and didn't let go. After a few moments Fuu started to feel uncomfortable.

"Um, thanks Mugen. You know me, clumsy as ever. He he he..." She trailed off when he brought his other hand up from his side and used it to push her body closer to his. Why, she didn't know, but her stomach jumped at this. She hugged him back because seriously, how often would this happen? She heard a nasally sort of sound then, right by her ear. Her eyebrows automatically raised.

"Mugen... are yo-- did you just smell me!"

"Mnh. You smell nice."

"...Thank you?"

The tone of her voice then broke off Mugen's trance. He pulled her away from him while giving her a shy lopsided grin. He knew he was acting different than usual, but he didn't care. For some reason, he was sort of happy. "We better get going. Like I said before, we're going to be late."

* * *

They arrived at the restaurant with no more complications. They asked about each other, just like they had done the night before, and this time they answered truthfully. Fuu realized they weren't strangers and they just hadn't seen each other in a long time. That would make anyone feel uncomfortable at first... right? Mugen dismissed it all together. 

They took their seats and when the time to order came, they were both prepared to pack on the pounds by ordering half the restaurant. Waiting for their food to cook would take a while, they both knew, so they talked.

Mugen was sitting across from her, staring intensely at his chopsticks. The last time she checked, Fuu knew you couldn't mind bend chopsticks. She gazed at his face and the scar caught her attention.

"Mugen, how did you get that scar on your face?" she asked. He looked up at her with confusion written all over his face.

"What scar?" Fuu pointed to a mirror and the side wall of the restaurant. He jumped up and took a look at his own reflection. "Oh, this thing!" He sat back down looking amused. "I got this from some lord. I don't even remember his name, but I sure as hell remember his wife's name. It was Bigan--"

"That's not a name, Mugen!"

"Well it would suit her, believe me. I followed her home one night when I saw her on a bridge. She was just staring at nothing in particular with this look on her face. So when she was going home, I approached her. I said 'Hey, Bigan. Why do you look so sad?' She turned to me and said, 'Because I don't have a reason to live.' 'I can change that for you,' I told her and then I tried to kiss her--"

"Pig!"

"Shhh! This is the good part. So I try to kiss her when out of nowhere, twenty guards jump out of nowhere along with her husband, that lord guy. So I fight off all of them. But when I've gone through about half of them, the girl calls out to me. 'Watch out!' she says, and her voice is so beautiful that it makes me stop and turn to her. Right then, one of those guards sliced my face. That pissed me off and I killed them all, quickly at that. When everyone but the lord and Bigan was dead, I walk right up to the lord, who was shaking and crying, and I flicked his forehead. It was so funny, the look on his face! Ha ha ha... Anyway, then I go to Bigan and kiss her, long and hard. The whole time her husband is watching with his mouth open, rubbing his forehead! I said 'Bye, Bigan.' and disappeared into the night."

"...Um..."

"...What! I'm not making it up!"

"You followed her home? That's weird, Mugen! You're sick and twisted!"

"It's not _that_ bad, Fuu. Actually, no I didn't. I just added that part in there to make it sound more interesting. How it really happened--"

"Always the story teller, Mugen." The two bickering people sitting and waiting for their lunch turned around at the sound of that voice. There, standing completely as preserved as they had left him five years ago stood Jin.

**To be continued...**

_Note: "bigan" means beautiful face in Japanese._

Yeah, I don't know why but I can't write these chapters any longer! I'm sorry about that. This chapter is strange, isn't it? I kind of suck at writing right now. I'm still in school and trying to get all my work done. When school gets out, though, hopefully these will be better. Thanks to everyone who's been commenting! Keep that up, I really like that. ;-)


	4. Hit, Miss and Run

**Behind the Glass**

_Hit, Miss and Run_

"Jin!" Fuu got up and threw her arms around him as he slightly hugged her back.

"Well well, look who finally decided to show up. Fuu here thought you were eaten by a bear or something," Mugen said as he stuffed the food that had just arrived into his mouth.

"No I didn't, liar!" Fuu yelled as she whacked Mugen in the head. She turned back and smiled to Jin. He, in return, made as little of an expression as he could manage while still looking happy to see her. "Its so good to see you again, Jin. You look exactly the same."

"You look older." He said. She smiled as they both took their seats.

"Sometimes that happens when people age. So tell me what you've been up to these past years!" She said excitedly as she reached across the table for some dumplings.

"Yeah, this I actually want to know. I've been hearing things, you know. Things about a dashing Samurai traveling around Japan looking for something. When I heard 'dashing Samurai' you weren't exactly the person that came to mind. But when those swooning lunies who like to call themselves women mentioned glasses and pale skin I knew it was you. Ha! Who else would wear glasses they don't need for fashion! So stupid..." Mugen said each word with some kind of food dripping from his mouth.

He was once again whacked in the head, courtesy of Fuu.

"Ow! Stupid bitch."

"Serves you right, jerk. Anyway Jin, what were you looking for all of those years?"

"Shino."

"The girl from the brothel? You're still bent over for that broad?"

"Mugen! Don't be so rude."

"Then don't be so ugly." He retorted. Mugen thought it was sort of funny how it only took one person who hasn't said more than three sentences since his arrival to get him and Fuu fighting again.

"I've gotten leads. I follow them. When I get there, she's always gone. She's like an enemy two steps ahead and years wiser than I."

"So you've been tracking her down all this time and you haven't even seen her? Jin, but why? Are you in love with Shino still?"

A nod from a pale Samurai confirmed the question and a girl's heart tightened not two feet away.

Maybe it was because she was more mature, but Fuu didn't feel that odd pang of jealousy she felt a long time before when Jin would talk about other women. As of now, she felt sad for him. It was like his love was sitting right out of reach just taunting him. A cookie jar full and a child a half of a foot too short. If that was her situation, Fuu thought she would loose it. Then again, there are worse situations to be in.

"And you, Fuu? What have you been doing besides growing up?"

"Yeah, what _have_ you been doing? I've been here since yesterday and you haven't said anything yet."

"Well... I've been, uh... traveling. Like you two, I still don't have a home. So I just wander from town to town, meet new people, make some money and move on."

"No one special in your life, ugly?" Mugen asked pretending not to care and shoveling rice down his throat.

"I didn't say that. There was someone..." Fuu faded out and looked down to her lap. After a few moments, she looked up again and smiled. "It doesn't matter, though." She helped herself to more food.

"Now I'm curious. Jin is too. Look, he has his curious face on. It looks the same as his other faces but anyway, Fuu, who was he?" Mugen stopped eating. He must have be _really_ curious. Jin leaned forward a little, also interested.

"He was... a wealthy man actually. Handsome, smart, charming... He was the son of a man who owned a gambling house. He was to inherit it when his father passed on. We were engaged to be married and right now as we speak, I would have been someone's wife. If that incident didn't happen..."

"What happened?" Mugen asked as nicely as he could manage while still looking rugged in public. He noticed her sad face. She looked lost in her own world as she sat and silently thought. Finally looking up at her two friends, Fuu had blurry eyes. She held back any tears that were pushing their way out and asked to be excused. She ran out of the restaurant and left two curious Samurai sitting just as curious as ever.

"What was that about?" Mugen asked.

"Love." Jin said and left some money although he hadn't eaten anything. He walked out of the restaurant to find Fuu.

"Great. An emotional reunion isn't what I signed up for. Not like this, anywa--HEY! YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR ALL THIS FOOD, YOU WALKING WHALE!" Mugen screamed and ran out of the door while grabbing Jin's money on his way. He was chased around town for a while, but thankfully Fuu and Jin were already out of sight. Good, they didn't need a repeat of what happened five years ago when Mugen surprised the idea on them to leave without paying and they were all caught.

When night fell, Mugen snuck back to the inn. Fuu was curled up in her futon sleeping and Jin was resting in the corner, hand on his sword. Mugen sighed. Still curious and exhausted from running around town and pissed that Jin probably heard about Fuu's past before him, he fell half on the floor and half on his futon from the night before and tried to sleep.

**To be continued...**

Thank you everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I'm glad to hear that you like it. Please keep the comments and criticism coming. Was Jin a little OOC there? I can't tell. Quiet people are either really easy or really hard to write and Jin is hard. Oh well. Until next time. :D


	5. Are You Happy Now?

**Behind the Glass**

_Are You Happy Now?_

The next morning when Fuu woke, Jin had already left. He'd be back, she knew. When he'd be back, she didn't know. Mugen was still asleep and sprawled out on the floor.

She sighed and got up to start a bath. When she got in, she thought how he'd probably be mad when he woke up. She saw how he looked at her when he thought she was asleep. Mad and concerned. Which means when he woke, he would act mad. Mugen is so different from Jin.

Jin can be sweet and funny when he wants to. And he can be smart, unlike Mugen. Like yesterday, for example. It was sweet of him to run after her after she left the restaurant in tears. It was funny when he caught up and didn't know how to comfort her. It was smart to not question her further about her past until she was ready to talk about it. Mugen on the other hand... was just stupid. Funny sometimes, yes. She'd give him that. But right when he woke up he'd be asking her about yesterday and Fuu knew it. Stupid... dumb... Samurai!

The skin on her clenched fists were starting to prune and Fuu realized she'd been in the bath for a while. She got out, got dressed and when she went to open the door she heard a big, unmelodious yawn. Mugen was awake.

* * *

Mugen woke on a hard floor, rolled over, yawned, and felt groggy as hell. He lifted himself up and kicked his futon in the corner. Deciding to take a bath since nobody was around, he headed for the bathroom. Right when he went to open the door, it was flung in his face.

"Ow, damn it! Who the hell-- Fuu? Oh, you're here. Why the hell are you trying to murder me!"

"Sorry Mugen," was all she said as she walked passed him and went to sit on her futon and dry her hair. Mugen stared at her. She sounded half dead. Was the thing about yesterday that serious? She did refer to it as "that incident" so it probably was. He shook it off for now and decided to take that bath. Most likely, he needed it. When he finished up, Jin had returned and was sitting across from Fuu. They sat in silence and stared into thin air.

"Alright, what the hell is going on here? Somebody tell me, God dammit! Is this really how you want to spend our re_union?_ Sitting _alone._ That doesn't sound like much of a reunion."

"Mugen, calm down." Jin told him.

"Hey, don't tell me to _calm down_ when I'm not even calmed up! I just want to know why you two are so depressed. Yeah, I get that shit has happened in the past five years that we all don't want to talk about. But if that's what it takes, and I can't believe I'm saying this, let's freakin' talk."

"You want... to know, right? What happened to the man I was talking about yesterday? I can tell you're dying to know. Is that why you want to 'talk'?"

"Well, yeah. As I said yesterday, I'm curious. And also, you look like its killing you. What the hell happened?"

Fuu sighed, defeated. She would have to tell them sooner or later.

"It happened a week ago. The night before what was supposed to be our wedding. His name was Yamada Kaishi and he was a wealthy man. Handsome and... I said all this yesterday. But that night when I went to say good night to him, I found him in his room and... there was blood. Everywhere I looked there was blood. Splattered over the walls, like whoever did it set it up to haunt me. And it does, every night. Kaishi was stripped and... pinned to the wall... By dull knives." Fuu paused to regain composure, but couldn't completely. A few stray tears fell down her face, but her voice stayed strong and quiet. "Dull knives. That means he was tortured. They shoved those things through his arms slowly until he bled to death. I don't know who, I don't know why... All I know is he's gone."

Both Samurai didn't move. Fuu tried to contain her sobs and eventually did.

"Yeah. That's my story. Are you happy now, Mugen?"

"No. Not at all." He didn't look her in the eye.

"A week ago today, Fuu?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"That's when you decided to contact us to have this reunion. Is there something you're not telling us? Is there someone after you or after something you have of Kaishi's?"

"No! I didn't ask you here for protection. I just... I had no one else to turn to. You two are the first people I thought of. You're the closest I've ever come to family since mine died. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away but I'm not hiding anything and I'm not in danger. I just needed to see you, Mugen and Jin."

"That makes sense. I guess. You should have told me right away instead of putting on an act." Mugen told her. She looked at him like he grew a brain, or an extra arm, or something else equally rare.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Because!" He answered.

"Mugen, you don't care. I wouldn't want you pretending you did until Jin showed up. It would have been awkward."

"Hate to be the bearer of obvious news, but it _was_ awkward anyway."

"Yeah, Mugen. That was your fault. I wasn't ready for you to act _nice!"_

"Mugen acted nice?" Jin asked.

"I know, hard to believe seeing him now, isn't it? Now he's just an idiot again!"

"I'm a _what?"_

"BAKA!"

"Calm down, you two."

Mugen and Fuu continued to scream insults and profanities at each other until Jin couldn't take it anymore. Sure, he could have stopped them or even joined in. He was very smart and could throw out retorts almost as fast as he could pull a sword on an enemy, but he had the silent and mysterious image to uphold. Besides, the yelling and arguing had broken the strange vibe in the air and Fuu looked more lively than ever. Jin decided to take a walk and leave the two to yell it out. Would he be back? Yes. When would he be back, though? Nobody knew.

**To be continued...**

Will you look at that. It was longer. :D Sorry for anyone offended by the death scene. It was a little gruesome, I guess. But better reading about it then seeing it, right? ...o.O


	6. Boy Talk

**Behind the Glass**

_Boy Talk_

Jin came back inside about an hour later. Right when he walked in the door he noticed something out of place; silence. Fuu plus Mugen never equaled silence. He rushed over to where he had left them.

Sitting on opposite sides of the room were Mugen and Fuu glaring holes through each other's eye sockets. Mugen was either making a fashion statement or their argument got a little out of control, Jin assumed from the bandage on Mugen's right cheek. Walking in the room, Jin had to hold in a smile.

"Don't worry," Fuu said to Jin as she stood. "The war room is once again safe. Now I'm going to the hot springs. This guy wears me out in the least pleasurable ways imaginable."

"Hey! You can't go yet. We haven't even asked him yet!" Mugen said jumping to his feet.

Jin looked back and fourth between the two. "Asked me what?"

Fuu sighed and turned towards Jin, rolling her eyes in her sockets. "This fool wants to know about what you've been up to since we've split but is to much of a coward to ask himself." She then turned to Mugen. "Just consider this 'boy talk' and ask him or drop it already." With that, Fuu left.

Jin took a seat where Fuu had just been sitting and Mugen didn't move at all, except for his facial muscles which were twitching. There was an uncomfortable silence that Mugen just couldn't take, so he broke it. "Jin, did I ever tell you about how Fuu is a crazy bitch?"

"Once or twice before. What did she do to you?"

"She scratched me with her... claws! I don't remember her being so easily offended back five years ago. All I said was 'You're a good-for-nothing uptight slug of a woman' and she lashes out! She acted all offended by it and everything. Like I really meant it. Psh."

Jin said nothing. He just smirked and sat there. This wasn't the first time that Mugen's mouth had invoked the wrath of Fuu, but why does Mugen care all of the sudden? Jin was suddenly curious about the time they spent together before he arrived, but decided it wasn't his business.

Mugen stopped muttering to himself and looked up at Jin. "And why the hell are you smirking over there? Is something amusing?"

"Not at all," Jin said and dropped the smirk off his face and became once again stoic. "Anyway, wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, right..." Mugen felt uncomfortable asking Jin what he had been doing since they last saw each other because it was a personal question. And without Fuu here, if things got serious or emotional he had no way of escaping the conversation. But he _really_ wanted to know, and the reason for why was beyond him. Maybe he felt the need to compare who moved on to live a more pathetic life?

The silence was once again getting to Mugen. _Screw it_, he thought. "So Jin... What, uh... what have you been up to for the last five years?"

"Haven't I already told you?" Jin responded. Mugen shot him a confused look. "Mugen, I've been searching for Shino."

"Wait, so you really were stalking some girl for five years? Haha, come on man! There's got to be more to it than that."

"No, that's it," Jin said calmly.

"Oh," Mugen sounded disappointed. "That's kinda pathetic. There are hundreds of girls out there who would drool in your lap at one glance of your sword. Swords even work for guys like _you_, Jin. But you can't give her up?"

"I really don't feel like being lectured about love from you, Mugen, since you're--"

"And hey! I thought you were a smart guy! Five years and you can't even catch one girl? We tracked down a man once before, remember? And our only clue was 'The Samurai that smells like sunflowers'. You know this girl's name and what she looks like... Are you getting rusty as you age?"

"Are _you_?" Jin asked, sounding defensive.

"Yeah right. What does that mean?" Mugen said in mocked shock.

"Mugen, I see the way you look at Fuu. I know you started the fight with her after she told us about Kaishi to make her feel better. Even five years ago, you cared about her. So who's the bigger fool? At least I know what I want and I'm trying with everything I have to get to it. But you... What you want most is right at your grasp, but you're too afraid to make you're move. Mugen, the Samurai that smelled of sunflowers was important to Fuu, and that's why we found him on those clues. I can't tell you why Shino is always out of my reach, but I'm not giving up. So why don't you at least _try_ to talk to Fuu, huh?" Jin stood up and walked to the door, intending on slamming it behind him.

"You know," Mugen said, still sitting and not moving an inch. "That was the most you have ever said. I think I even heard your voice raise to a different octave. Heh. What in the hell makes you think you know everything about everything?"

Jin turned away from Mugen and opened the door. "I haven't been wrong yet." And he left.

**To be continued...**

Everyone, I am _really_ sorry that I took so long to get this chapter up. Summer has been so crazy, I couldn't even tell you. But I do appreciate all the reviews this story has been getting. I'm glad you like it so far and I hope I don't disappoint in the future. xD


	7. A Firefly

**Behind the Glass**

_A Firefly_

That night both Fuu and Jin came back, as they always did. Mugen pretended to be asleep until they settled down, then sneaked out for some fresh air.

He just couldn't get over it. His mind was racing about the conversation he had with Jin. Not only did the guy actually _talk_ to him, but he made sense. Until that point for all he knew, Jin could have been a philosopher or a hypersexual satyriasis... he really didn't know.

Then he says, "I haven't been wrong yet". _That smug bastard actually thought he got through to me with that? _Mugen thought. _He doesn't know what he's talking about. When he finds that girl he won't have a clue what to say to her and that I can guarantee. How can anyone know how to put into words to a girl that when she's around, there's a stabbing in my chest that feels kind of good and your slightest touch warms my whole body and... Those are scary thoughts._

Mugen shook his shaggy hair out of his eyes and the dark green grass came back into focus when his hair fell back into place. He studied them with a blank mind.

_Green, wet, sharp. These are things I know. These things will never surprise me. These things are boring._

He saw a light flicker and for a moment after he spun towards it he thought someone was standing there with a candle. But it flickered again higher in the sky, out of his reach.

_A firefly._

And he was mesmerized by it. It flickered and its light was somehow simple but in the dark of night very interesting. It would shine, go out for a while, then light up again in a different part of the sky. He wondered if there were other creatures in the night watching the light like him. But he _felt_ that they would not appreciate it in the way that he did.

It wasn't like Mugen to think like that. He grew up in a hard environment where he could feel, but it didn't affect his life more powerfully than taking over the thoughts that ran through his head before sleep. The firefly made him feel powerful and painful. It was a combination which made his gaze drift.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

The voice snapped Mugen from his thoughts and he focused on pale skin and dark brown eyes in the dark.

"Why are you awake, Fuu?"

She half smiled and walked in front of him to look where his gaze had been set earlier. "To see the fireflies. They're beautiful aren't they?"

Mugen shrugged. "They're not so bad in the dark. In the light they just look like bugs."

"Because they _are_ just bugs. But when it's dark and you can't see, they light your way."

He wondered what she really meant by it all, and he knew it was a truth that made him appreciate the bugs even more.

"Haha. That's got to be a woman's thing: Making a guy realize what's right in front of his face that he would never notice on his own."

"Well that's just because we think too much." Fuu turned to look directly into his eyes through the dark. "And despite all the thinking, we don't even know what we're talking about. But I'm guessing we have more of a clue then you men because we notice. We always notice." Fuu never broke the gaze.

"And what do you notice right now?" Mugen asked, and he'd never been more curious about anything in his life.

"Fear. Wait! Don't start protesting, Mugen. It only leads to fighting. Sorry about scratching your face, by the way." She said this all pretty fast with her arms holding him still by his elbows.

"Alright, what fear?" He asked with his hands dangling strangely at his sides and still in her slight grip.

"You're afraid of change, aren't you? I know you're different than when I saw you five years ago. We all are, and you've probably changed the most. And I have to tell you I was so afraid to see the two of you because I thought you'd be completely different people. But you're not. You could never be anyone but Mugen. Showing me and Jin that you're different won't change that. So why lie about yourself?"

A firefly soared overhead.

"You're right. I did lie. And I am different. But that's not what I'm afraid of. I'm really not afraid to tell you I lied about kissing a lord's wife. I made that all up and I don't know why I did..." He paused and looked at her face, wondering if she knew it was all a lie before tonight. Her face showed no surprise, all it showed was what he thought was acceptance. "This scar on my face is really from a fight where I slipped up and got distracted. And I'm not afraid to tell you that I couldn't look at a women straight in the face in the past five years, especially those women with sad brown eyes!"

Fuu gripped his arms a bit tighter at this.

"What I am afraid of is the fact that five years ago, I would have never told you know all of these things. I'm afraid of how I will feel about these fireflies when I see them in the light. But most of all, I'm afraid of this." And he grabbed her hands off of his arms and laced them with his own. He held their hands between them.

Fuu pulled his hand towards her and kissed it. "And why are you afraid of that?"

Mugen looked and saw that her eyes were glistening. "Because people get tired. And people fall apart." And his hands fell from hers. "And in the light it's all different. That's where I fight and swear and try not to get caught thinking too much." His legs gave out to the grass. He stared at the blades for a long time. Grass never changes.

_Time can stand still and everyone around you can feel like a sculpture as you walk around them. You can touch them, but they aren't even there._ Mugen thought that would happen now.

"Idiot." Fuu's slipper crunched over the grass and she knelt in front of him. "You really are an idiot. Don't assume that when people get tired, others let go." Fuu grabbed Mugen's hand and pulled him towards her where she kissed the scar on his face and kept calling him "idiot" until they got tired and went to bed, wondering what would still be real in the morning light.

**To be continued...**

I think that was a weird chapter. How to write romance... I don't know. I've never done it before.


	8. Dream Boy

**Behind the Glass**

_Dream Boy_

"So, what happened last night?"

"Nothing!" Fuu said quickly, answering Jin. They were having breakfast together in a little tea shop while waiting for Mugen to wake up.

Jin, the sly one he is, caught her lie.

"Liar." He simply stated and sipped his tea.

Eyes unfocused, she smiled. _What is this girl thinking? _Jin thought.

"Ok, so I'm a liar. But I'm not worried about what you call me. I'm worried about what you called Mugen. He seemed really shook up last night. What did you guys talk about?"

_You_, Jin thought, but would never say out loud. He didn't hate the guy after all. The truth would only embarrass him and start more problems.

Jin shifted in his chair. _Lies are bad too. Better to go with a loose version of the truth_.

"We talked about our pasts. And where it's led us. If that shook him up, maybe you need to ask him about it yourself."

"You know, you're right. I think I'll go wake his lazy ass up and do that." Fuu sighed and got up from her chair. The look on her face clearly said "I'm on a mission, stay out of my way." And so Jin did, deciding that it could be worse than being stuck with her bill; he could be Mugen.

* * *

_There it is again. Knife as sharp as diamonds. God, I hate that thing! Under the nails this time? No, through the door. Strange, that door is new. So is the chick. Wait, what the hell?_

Mugen sat wide eyed in his blankets, watching Fuu storm towards him through the main door. She stomped her feet right up to him with a stern face. Then, sighing, she kneeled down.

"What's wrong?"

"With _me_? What's wrong with you? Don't you know how to knock!" Mugen got up and started straightening his blankets.

"I do know how, thanks for asking. But all three of us are sharing this room, baka. That means we don't _have_ to knock." Fuu sat on the blankets that Mugen had been trying to fix. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Psh. What if I was getting dressed?"

"So what if you were?" She looked up at him and smiled. "Come on. What was going on? Were you having a nightmare?" She pat a space beside her.

"No." He didn't sit.

"You were. You're sweating all over. Come sit." And she pat the space once again. Mugen didn't budge. "Fine then, you brought this on yourself." And she pulled the back of his knees until they gave out and he fell right on the spot she had wanted him to go.

"Bitch."

"Baka."

She didn't ask him about his dreams again. He sat with his head on her knee, and she brushed his hair from his eyes with her fingers. He could have fallen back to sleep like that. He almost did, until he remembered how he usually slept, and he didn't like the idea of him waking with her, screaming in terror.

"I have these nightmares," he started, mainly to keep himself awake. "I've been having them for a while. Every night it's different, and every night it's the same." He met her eyes, and she looked just the way she had last night. She looked accepting. "I'm always being tortured."

"I thought so." She told him as she felt the prickles of his unshaved face. "I heard you talking in your sleep."

Mugen jumped up, angry at this. "What did I say?" To Fuu, he looked more scared than angry. She grabbed his hand and hoped it would calm him down.

"Don't worry, Jin didn't hear anything. You were just mumbling. Things like 'No, stop, get away.' Pretty basic things to say when you're being tortured, don't you think?"

Sitting back down he asked, "So that's why you're here? You heard me mumbling in my sleep and you think I need to _talk_ about it?"

"No." And she started brushing his hair again. He closed his eyes, loving how it felt. "I came to get your ass up, get you in a bath, and then do something with the day. Women don't intentionally plan to catch you in the act just to talk about things. If you're me anyway."

"Oh," was all he said, feeling quite stupid of the accusation.

"Actually, that's a lie. I came to talk to you about your past. And you've been having nightmares, which was brought on by something in your past I'm guessing, so it all worked out well."

Mugen looked shocked at first, then shook his head. "Bitch," he muttered under his breath. Then he glared at her. "Do you ever tell the truth?"

"Most of the time, yeah. But it's no fun. Like your nightmares, I'm guessing."

He scoffed. "No, their jolly good. Nothing says fun like a good old stab in the chest or getting your fingerprints ripped off and glued to different fingers." He rolled his eyes while sitting up once again to look her in the eye. "Look, forget about it for now. It's not like the dreams are horrible memories of mine--"

"Yeah, but--"

He raised his hands to let her know he wasn't finished.

"Let's go out, alright? We'll go have breakfast."

"I just came from breakfast."

"Lunch?"

"It's too early."

"I can't win." Getting up to his feet, he held his left hand out to help Fuu up. She took it of course, but pulled most of her own weight up herself.

"Then how about just a walk then? This is our last day here. Might as well see the sights, as dingy as they are."

Smiling at the idea, Fuu agreed. Then she started coughing and waving her hands in front of her face.

"How about after a bath, Mugen?"

"Great idea! Hurry up and get naked while I fill up the water."

She hit him in the arm while laughing and said, "I'll be waiting outside, hentai."

**To be continued...**

I'm sorry! Really, I am. I took so long to update and this is all you get! I wanted there to be more in this chapter, but I need time to re-watch some of the episodes because I haven't seen it in so long and I'm writing how I drive--way off track. So it feels like, anyway. Better next time, I promise!


	9. Small World

**Behind the Glass**

_Small World_

Fuu didn't have to wait too long for Mugen to take a bath. It worried her too because there is no way that man, filthy as he was, could get clean as fast as he did.

Mugen walked right over to Fuu's scrunched up face and asked, "Are you ok?"

She breathed in, and realized that she was; Mugen smelled like soap.

"I'm fine! How are you?" She covered up, but Mugen didn't notice.

"Alright, I guess. Where to?"

Standing near the door to their room, Fuu looked around and wondered where they could go in this old and quiet town. No ideas came to mind, so Fuu said, "Let's just walk around for a while."

With a nod from Mugen, they went.

They went and kept on going for some time in silence. The silence, although it wasn't awkward, was different from when they normally don't speak. They weren't mad at each other or at a loss for words. They were just walking side by side along the cracked stone road, looking at ponds and trees and dirty buildings and new buildings and woman walking by them laughing and men fishing and grass and sky and many other insignificant things that made them happy. And they were, for the first time in a while, happy.

Mugen especially was feeling better than he normally did. But his past was back on his mind once he realized how good he was feeling. He definitely didn't want to go back down that road at a time like this, when everything seemed so perfect.

_It could always be like this,_ he thought. _I could be happy and _stay_ happy once I get it all off my chest. Don't hate me, Fuu..._

* * *

He cleared his throat and gave the tiniest smile once he had Fuu's attention.

"Ready to talk yet?" She asked. He wondered if women really _did_ know everything. He nodded. "So Mugen, what do you think the nightmares mean?"

Mugen looked to the dusty street made of dirt and walked on. "The nightmares mean... that I should be punished. They're natures little way of giving me a taste of what I deserve." He didn't look up, not even when he noticed that Fuu didn't flinch. She wasn't surprised at all by what he said. Had she suspected him all along of being as bad of a person as he was?

"Mugen?" He looked up then. Her voice was soaked with worry, but her eyes were calm. "Mugen, what did you do?"

He sighed and slapped his hands against his legs. He looked at anything and everything but those calm eyes. _Please don't hate me._

"One night, I was drunk. I saw a man and a woman walking down the road. I thought she was _you_." He backed away from her so he could look at her, although it hurt. _I deserve it._

"Fuu, I thought I killed you."

Her mouth opened, then closed again. Her eyes couldn't decide what to focus on. She didn't know what to say to that, so she fell to the ground and looked up at him.

_He has tears in his eyes? That's not like him,_ she thought.

"You killed a girl? Someone who looked like me?"

"She didn't look like you when I was sober..." He kicked a rock away from him. It smacked into a tree.

"What _did_ she look like?"

"Fuu," he whispered, looking at her feet. "You're missing the point--"

"WHAT did she look like?"

"What do you want from me? A full description? She was pale, and red and beautiful, except for her face because it wasn't yours!"

"Mugen--"

And he fell. On his knees with blurred eyes, he grabbed her hand. He was shaking, so she thought. It might have been her own hand.

"Fuu! I'm fucked up... I beat a girl to death because I thought it was the person I loved. WHO DOES THAT?"

"I... don't know." She pulled her hand away. She wiped her own tears. She stood and said, "What did you do to the man?"

"I... nothing. He ran."

"What did _he_ look like?"

"I don't know. A pretty boy. I remember hating him for that."

"And where did this happen?"

Mugen's gaze was to the ground. He wondered why, out of all the things she should be wanting to know, these were the questions she was asking.

Meeting her gaze, Mugen found no more acceptance in there, and her eyes broke his heart.

"I'm sorry..."

"Damn it, Mugen! Just answer me!" she demanded, breathing deeply in and out.

"All the way to the west coast from this town. I don't know what it was called. Why does it matter _where_--"

"You know! You're really not in the best position to be demanding information right now. In fact, maybe you shouldn't even talk at all!"

Standing up and looking straight into her death glare, he said, "Then why the hell did you make me?"

"Because! I'm supposed to be here for you. But this--" She waved her hands up sharply and Mugen took that to mean what he had done.

"Don't you want to know why?" he asked a little more calmly now. The eye of the storm, perhaps?

"I've got bigger problems now," Fuu breathed through clenched teeth.

"Bigger than this? I find that hard to believe."

"Oh I know you do. But I'm going to tell you this now. I want you to stay the hell away from me. Stay the _fuck_ away from me." Backing away from Mugen's strained face, she whispered. "Oh, and the name of the girl you killed was Yamada Kasuga. Kaishi's first wife. And you, Mugen, are the reason my fiance is dead."

**To be continued...**

Oh no, what the hell is going on? And you thought things were going so smoothly between them too. :p


	10. Author's Note

**Behind the Glass**

_Author's Note_

It's been ALMOST a year, so I suck. But I will finish this. I need some time to figure out a nice way to sort the plot out.

Thanks to everyone who's been leaving reviews. I read everyone and no matter what they say, I'm happy you all took time to write them and to read this story.

I've sort of lost interest in the show, so I'm going to re-watch it quick before I finish this. That way, it won't be me just writing crap to get it over with.

So sorry for the wait. Hope everyone is having a nice summer!


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